Lent

[Tilly]

Last year when my oldest daughter was 10 years old she decided to give up crisps for lent. Amazingly she did and I was very impressed with her willpower.

 

I have never given up anything for Lent before so this year I've decided to take a leaf out of dd book and give up crisps, which for me will be extremely difficult as I adore them - any make any flavour. I think its going to be a loooooong 40 days.

 

What other things have other members decide to give up.

 

tilly

[hev]

didnt even know it was lent!! when does it start?im gonna give up being horrible to baddad,no i really am this time,im gonna try my hardest,it will be a struggle but i will win this time!!

[Kathryn]

Funnily enough, I've decided to give up crisps too - I love 'em as well Tilly! As long as I don't walk down the crisp aisle in the supermarket I'll be OK. But if I get within sniffing distance of a salt and vinegar crisp I'm in trouble.

 

I tried giving up tea one year - by the end of the first day I had a raging headache so abandoned that idea: shows how addicted I am.

 

Another year I gave up alcohol - boy was it a long forty days - but it felt good.

 

Let me know how you get on, Tilly!

 

Hev - lent started yesterday so if you were horrible to Baddad yesterday you will have to eat your words.

 

K x

[Gardenia]

For me it was going to be no swearing but with a mother-in-law like mine that was a no hoper.

So its chocolate and I'm missing Cadbury's something terrible at the mo.

 

Gardenia

[hev]

im safe kathryn,i was nice yesterday i think im just gonna dodge his posts for 40 days then i wont be tempted

[smiley]

Little monkey...???????

 

LEA....???????

 

Statements......?????????

 

Ironing........???????

 

Paperwork.......???????????

 

Go on - let me - pleeaaassseeeeeeeeeeee

 

I've never given up anything for Lent - but i'm mightily impressed with those who do

[baddad]

I've given up Lent for Lent

[minerva]

I tried giving up tea one year - by the end of the first day I had a raging headache so abandoned that idea: shows how addicted I am.

 

 

Yuk! That headache is the worst!

 

Its caffeine withdrawal, the blood ruses back into your head after being restricted by the caffeine for so long apparently.

 

Its easy if you can get past day 3/4, I gave up caffeine for new year

 

Gave it up once before for a allergy thing & had the same headaches

 

It does go....honest hehe

[UltraMum]

I think I will give up trying to be polite to the LEA for Lent - spent 6 hours y'day on a letter to them - DH says it was very restrained

[curra]

I'll give up feeling low and depressed

 

I'll redecorate and look for some pretty things for my DS's bedroom, that is, if I find affordable things.

 

Curra

[hev]

minerva i tried to give up coffee last year i couldnt even get to the 3rd day i felt ill,had such a blinding headache so i went back on coffee,i know i drink too much coffee but i sleep well at night so i dont think it affects me too much

[minerva]

the ones that sleep well on caffeine are the ones that are the most affected lol

 

maybe it would be easier to slowly introduce caffeine free.......like replace one cup per day then increase this by one cup per day every week? That way you may slow down the "cold turkey" process. I dont know i've never done it that way but surely its gotta be worth a try?

[RedR]

Is that true, I used to down 'full -fat' coffee by the bucket load and never seemed to feel the effects

 

I would also recommend cutting out the caffeine slowly, I did it by doing one cup proper coffee one cup decaff, one cup proper two cups decaff etc. Seemed to work for me and I didn't suffer any withdrawl symptoms.

[hev]

yeah but if i drink decaf all the time anyway,its not doing me any harm is it?

[minerva]

if you drink decaf all the time anyway hev you wouldnt get the blinding headaches cos thats the caffeine withdrawal.

 

& no decaf doesnt do you any harm, caffeinated does though

[Kathryn]

I thought decaff was full of chemicals used to remove the caffeine?

 

K x

[oxgirl]

I've given up the diet I started in January!!

 

~ Mel ~

[minerva]

I thought decaff was full of chemicals used to remove the caffeine?

 

K x

 

 

lol no they just dont put it in there to start with

[hev]

it dont take a lot to get me confused ive lost track of the thread

[Kathryn]

Must be all the coffee, hev.

 

K x

[baddad]

Coffee gives me migraines... I found out after years of the beggars when somebody suggested I try giving it up (used to drink it all day every day). Now have a strict limit of two a day or one if real rather than instant coffee. Still get ocassional migraines and if i overstep the 2 cup limit possibly a bad one, but nowhere near what i used to get! Don't wanna give it up completely though cos I like it!

 

 

 

[hev]

i do drink it all day every day,if i drink cheap own brand stuff i get terrible headaches but if i stick to well known brands im ok i do wonder if drinking all that coffee is what makes me act so silly sometimes

[baddad]

i do wonder if drinking all that coffee is what makes me act so silly sometimes

 

 

 

Erm... I think that's more likely to be the G&T, love, don't you??

 

 

 

You do make oi laff

[smiley]

Oh Hev - LOVE the new avvy!

[baddad]

Oh Hev - LOVE the new avvy!

 

 

 

I reckon it'll drive her bonkers in DAYS!!

[smiley]

Ahhhhhh a cunning plan.....

 

(i have an overwhelming urge to say 'I'll bang your bloomin' 'eads together one of these days' in a propa fishwife voice. Dear God - it's official, i've turned into my parents )

[Flora]

I was going to say I've given up hope.... But that would be sin

 

Flo'

[mossgrove]

I thought decaff was full of chemicals used to remove the caffeine?

 

K x

 

 

Read the packet!

 

Some decaffinated coffee is done woth chemicals, some by using a 'water method' that does not use chemicals.

[minerva]

this all seems very strange to me, i didnt realise caffeine was naturally in the beans to start with??

 

anyway, i found this for anyone who is interested:

 

In order for coffee to qualify as decaffeinated, it must have at least 97 percent of its caffeine removed. What does that chock up to? An eight-ounce cup of decaf coffee would have no more than 5 or fewer milligrams of caffeine (compared to the range of 40 - 180 mg. typically found in one eight-ounce cup of brewed, dripped, or percolated java).

 

Today, most processors use safe methods to remove caffeine. A few different techniques are available, and understanding them may help allay your concerns about coffee contaminants. Coffee beans are decaffeinated by softening the beans with water and using a substance to extract the caffeine. Water alone cannot be used because it strips away too much of the flavor. The goal is to extract the caffeine with minimal loss of flavor. Substances used to remove the caffeine may directly or indirectly come in contact with the beans, and so the processes are referred to as direct or indirect decaffeination.

 

In one process, coffee beans are soaked in water to soften them and dissolve the caffeine. The water containing the caffeine (and the flavor from the beans) is treated with a solvent, heated to remove the solvent and caffeine, and then returned to the beans. The flavors in the water are reabsorbed by the beans, which are then dried. This process is referred to as "indirect decaffeination," because the beans never touch the solvent themselves. The most widely used solvent today is ethyl acetate, a substance found in many fruits. When your coffee label states that the beans are "naturally decaffeinated," it is referring to this process, specifically using ethyl acetate. Although it doesn't sound like a natural process, it can be labeled as such because the solvent occurs in nature. Other solvents have been used, some of which have been shown to be harmful. One, methylene chloride, has been alleged to cause cancer in humans and therefore is not often used. Back in the 1970s, another solvent, trichloroethylene, was found to be carcinogenic and is no longer used.

 

Another indirect method soaks the beans in water to soften them and remove the caffeine, and then runs the liquid through activated charcoal or carbon filters to decaffeinate it. The flavor containing fluid is then returned to the beans to be dried. This charcoal or carbon process is often called "Swiss water process" (developed by a Swiss company).

 

A direct decaffeination process involves the use of carbon dioxide as a solvent. The coffee beans are soaked in compressed CO2, which removes 97 percent of the caffeine. The solvent containing the extracted caffeine evaporates when the beans return to room temperature.

 

Your concern over the safety of decaffeinated coffee probably stems from solvents used in the past. If your coffee is labeled naturally decaffeinated or Swiss water processed, you can be assured that no harmful chemicals are used. If you are uncertain, you can ask or call your coffee processor to learn about the

method used.

 

bah!

[butterfingersbimbo]

i'm not givin anythin up for lent as i gave up something fun when i got divorced, i'm suffering enough!!!

[bikergal]

I haven't given anything up, I don't think I've got the willpower

[tmf]

Think i will give up SEX.....beats the headache excuse!!

[Kathryn]

Thanks Minerva - I'll stick to the caffeine!

 

Many view lent as a time to take up something new instead of or as well as, giving up something. I like this idea better: it's much more positive and fun.

 

K x

[Frangipani]

I usually give up all my favourite things, works like a treat then you no longer crave them.

 

Chocolate anything

 

[Tilly]

Just thought I'd let you know I failed miserably at giving up crisps for Lent, about 2 weeks ago I just HAD to have a bag of cheese and onion walkers, then there was no turning back. My 11 year old who gave up crisps for the whole of Lent last year has my respect

 

Tilly

[hev]

i tried giving up crisps but i love them too much,prawn cocktail are my fave